Question

1. water (h₂o) cannot be turned into salt (nacl) through a chemical reaction because ____.

a. salt is a mixture of atoms.
b. salt and water are made of different atoms.
c. water is made of three atoms.
d. water contains liquid atoms and salt contains solid atoms.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Salt (NaCl) is a compound, not a mixture of atoms. So A is wrong.
• Option B: Water ($\ce{H_2O}$) is made of H and O atoms; salt (NaCl) is made of Na and Cl atoms. Different atoms mean water can't become salt via reaction (since reactions rearrange atoms, not change their types). This is correct.
• Option C: Water is a molecule with three atoms (2 H, 1 O), but this doesn't explain why it can't become salt. So C is wrong.
• Option D: Atoms don't have "liquid" or "solid" states; states are of matter (like liquid water, solid salt), not atoms. So D is wrong.

Answer:

B. salt and water are made of different atoms.